Monday, June 29, 2015

Black Anemone "King of Kings"Release date: January 21, 2013Running time: 30:09, 11 tracksIf somebody asks for Swedish Celtic punk, the first answer will be SIR REG. And probably the next one would be Finnegan's Hell. Luckily, new bands keep on arriving and Sweden has a burgeoning (Celtic) folk punk scene as strong as its crime writers. Last year we got Captain Jack's Army five track EP to be reviewed and now, after having posted their previous "Let the Freakshow Begin" EP for free download, "King of Kings", the debut album by Black Anemone, has arrived to our headquarters.

Black Anemone hails from Jönköping and, even if right now they are six members, their line-up has reached 9 people in the past. They label their music as Folk punk and influences from different bands can be noticed on their sound. Obiously, Flogging Molly's shadow is there, but they have been able to write some amazing numbers that are closer to other non Celtic brilliant bands such as Roughneck Riot.

The album kicks off with a short intro and Black Anemone delivers a catchy number in the Flogging Molly vein (banjo, fiddle and tin whistle) blending some vocals à la Dropkick Murphys: "Marky (King of Kings)"

Black Anemone shifts to a different end with a Canadian twist on the accordion fronted number "Pig of Swines".

The similarities with Warrington's finest Roughneck Riot can be heard on "Devil on Your Shoulder", a song based on the banjo, tin whistle and electric guitar.The next number, "Galloway March" is sung by Tilda (tin whistle) and is a sort of intro to the following track, the pirate song "Hoist the Flag". The album arrives at its peak with tracks 7, 8, 9 and 10. "She's My Whiskey" is a slower number, a ballad with a Canadian flavour. Fantastic arrangements on this song on which every single instrument can be clearly heard: guitar, mandolin, tin whistle, banjo and fiddle. "Slaving for Days" is an excellent DKM infused song showcasing the accordionist, mandolinist and drummer's skills. "Sing Along for the Unlucky Ones" has an acoustic guitar intro but soon evolves into a badass Celtic punk number featuring accordion, banjo, fiddle and gang vocals. And "We Own the Night" is a fast paced banjo and tin whistle led Celtic punk rock numberThe last track is called "Swing your Balls" and it's the kind of song that normally gets the "parental advisory" sticker."King of Kings" come is a six panel packaging including a four page booklet (band's biography, band's pic, line-up, contact details and band's link). The lyrics to the songs are not provided, but all of them can be found on Bandcamp, Youtube or Reverbnation.Curiously, "King of Kings" was released in 2013. Other bands that we have enjoyed in the last months have followed a similar approach on their Celtic punk songs (for instance, Punching Namard and Mick O'Toole). But, apart from updating theFlogging Molly classic sound, Black Anemone has been able to add other non-Celtic elements that we really appreciate. Go ahead and grab your copy!